Tensioner options

Catmonkey

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Stock is probably okay up to about 12 psi. Over that I'd look at the aftermarket tensioners. I'm not sure brand makes that much difference. Thump was first to the market and I've had one on mine for number of years, although not that much mileage. VPM and ARS are nice looking units and have been on the market long enough to prove reliability. I don't think you could go wrong with any of them, so shop price.
 

PM-Performance

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They will all work. They have all had problems in some way shape or form.
Lots of cases of Thumps breaking
VMP I dont think even makes them anymore because they were breaking
ARS seems to have the least amount of reported problems, but just could be because they replace broken ones just for the price of shipping each way.

Honestly, I dont think any of them really "HELP" other than being more robustly built. I have an ARS and I can tell you it did not fix any issues with belt slip I had prior to it.
 

802gt500

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Stock tensioners slip the belt and on fast shifts will actually jump a rib and destroy a belt. Took a few belt to figure this out. IF you shift fast and hear belt chirp the stock tensioner is getting weak. Replaced with vmp tensioner and no more issues.
 

PM-Performance

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Stock tensioners slip the belt and on fast shifts will actually jump a rib and destroy a belt. Took a few belt to figure this out. IF you shift fast and hear belt chirp the stock tensioner is getting weak. Replaced with vmp tensioner and no more issues.

min the same token after markets slips between gear shifts too. Mine does. I lose 1-1.5psi at points. My car doesn’t level boost to its max point until 4th gear
 

RedVenom48

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ARS or Thump. VMP no longer making their tensioner. Make sure you have an idler pulley thats bigger as the the Thump and I think ARS use a much smaller tensioner pulley.

Im running the VMP unit with stock size pulley and its much stronger than stock.
 

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